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Preview and test templates

Preview shows a sample of an email inside the editor. For permission emails it shows the fixed formatted email, so a real request to yourself is the only full check.

Preview a template

  1. Click Settings at the bottom of the sidebar, then Email.

  2. Click the Templates tab.

  3. Click Customize or Edit next to the template.

  4. Click Preview. It appears above the buttons. Nothing is sent, and nothing is saved.

What Preview shows

This depends on the template.

  • PERMISSION REQUEST: the fixed formatted email, filled in with sample details. It looks the same whatever you type, because your text does not reach that version.

  • Other templates: your body text with sample details, in a simple layout. Here you do see your changes.

The Preview panel showing a permission email to a sample author, Jane Doe, with a quote, three options, a Let Us Know button, a line with the support address and a footer with the mailing address.

Preview never shows the subject or the plain text copy. It also leaves out your logo and the testimonial screenshot, and it uses Anonymous in place of your Anonymous Display Name. A real email has all of these.

Check your subject and plain text

The only way to see them is a real email.

  1. Pick a test testimonial and set its Author Email to your own address.

  2. Send a permission request. See Sending a permission request.

  3. Check the subject in your inbox.

  4. To see the plain text copy, use your email app's option for viewing the original message, if it has one.

Check delivery

Send Test Email on the Provider & Address tab shows that email goes out, but it uses a short standard message and not your template. See Test send.

Before a big send

  • Send a real request to yourself, and check the subject, the sender, your logo and the footer.

  • Open the link and go through the consent page. See The consent page.

  • Try a Gmail and an Outlook address if you can, on a phone as well as a computer.

If something goes wrong

Preview shows none of my changes

For permission emails, that is expected. Your text reaches only the subject and the plain text copy.

Preview does nothing

Both the Subject and Body Text need some text. An error message appears above the editor.

Preview worked, but Save is refused

Preview does not check required variables, and Save does. See Template variables.

The test email looks nothing like my template

The test email never uses a template. Send a real request to yourself instead.

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